Nausing Posted June 4, 2013 Posted June 4, 2013 How do you successfully manage your backups and are you completely following Data Protection laws? What servers do you backup and what has been left out..? I've noticed members here who run weekly USB hard drive 'backups' and store them in their car.. Of course this doesn't seem very secure.. What does your school do to prevent the loss of data? Have you had to experience a real DR situation? Are you fully confident that if your file storage server dead tonight you could be back up within 48hrs? I'm trying to provide a good backup solution for the college I work at and would be interested in how you backup your data or what company you use for offsite long term data storage? Thank you!
Michael Posted June 4, 2013 Posted June 4, 2013 Backing up to USB is a thing of the past - I backup to a NAS and try and position it away from servers in the event of flood or fire.
Nausing Posted June 4, 2013 Author Posted June 4, 2013 Backing up to USB is a thing of the past - I backup to a NAS and try and position it away from servers in the event of flood or fire. No offsite monthly backup? What services do you backup on the NAS? what size?
Michael Posted June 4, 2013 Posted June 4, 2013 The school MIS is backed up to the LA, but in-house backups on both Curric and MIS are performed to a NAS, so data never leaves site. Size varies, but typically anywhere between 50GB to 100GB over a gigabit connection. Does it no problem using BackupAssist.
Meldrew Posted June 4, 2013 Posted June 4, 2013 (edited) Backing up to USB is a thing of the past - I backup to a NAS and try and position it away from servers in the event of flood or fire. Can you clarify why USB (presumbly USB connected HDD?) is a thing of the past? This is sort of what I do here and its the best backup system we've ever used. [Edit] Also not sure I'd be back in 48 hours, but this would depend surely on getting some hardware to run as a replacement for the dead kit - unless we're supposed to keep a high powered server kicking around ready for that eventuality? Meldrew Edited June 4, 2013 by Meldrew
Nausing Posted June 4, 2013 Author Posted June 4, 2013 Can you clarify why USB (presumbly USB connected HDD?) is a thing of the past? This is sort of what I do here and its the best backup system we've ever used. [Edit] Also not sure I'd be back in 48 hours, but this would depend surely on getting some hardware to run as a replacement for the dead kit - unless we're supposed to keep a high powered server kicking around ready for that eventuality? Meldrew Well do you backup raw data or full system states? We recently had this happen to us.. our single file storage with all profiles etc died... we purchased a new server and using DPM we transferred all our data to the new server with permission... Back in no time! I just want to find a long term storage solution for monthly backups... also need to backup SQL and Exchange mailboxes...
fairm010 Posted June 4, 2013 Posted June 4, 2013 We backup all four of our servers (Including SIMS) to an encrypted NAS daily then back that up to the cloud weekly. Matt
Michael Posted June 4, 2013 Posted June 4, 2013 Can you clarify why USB (presumbly USB connected HDD?) is a thing of the past? This is sort of what I do here and its the best backup system we've ever used. [Edit] Also not sure I'd be back in 48 hours, but this would depend surely on getting some hardware to run as a replacement for the dead kit - unless we're supposed to keep a high powered server kicking around ready for that eventuality? Meldrew Worse case scenario is a fire or flood occurs over night, taking your server and USB backup along with it as they're physically connected together. A NAS can be physically located the other end of a school. Secondly RAIDed NASes are quite common, whereas most USB disk drives are just one physical disk. If your servers are RAIDed as well as your backup to a NAS, you limit the risk or probability of losing data.
Guest salan Posted June 4, 2013 Posted June 4, 2013 We use Veeam to back up all servers fully every night and to replicate the SIMS and Exchange servers every 15 mins. The nightly backups are copied to tape and a copy done to disks in another part of the school well away from the servers. A copy of the tapes is in a fireproof (read resistant) safe again in another part of the school. So unless the whole school burns down (and as it is all on one level that would be difficult), we should be covered. Also IF the school was to be totally destroyed, then I would think the having a latest backup would be the least of the problems. Oh and yes we test the backups regularly. Alan
Nausing Posted June 4, 2013 Author Posted June 4, 2013 We backup all four of our servers (Including SIMS) to an encrypted NAS daily then back that up to the cloud weekly. Matt Thanks for your reply Matt, what cloud service do you use? What cost?
Michael Posted June 4, 2013 Posted June 4, 2013 I just want to find a long term storage solution for monthly backups... also need to backup SQL and Exchange mailboxes... Backup Assist has optional modules for backing up SQL and Exchange. You may optionally wish to look at Office 365 which would remove the need to backup forever growing mailboxes!
pantscat Posted June 4, 2013 Posted June 4, 2013 We use Veeam to replicate the SIMS and Exchange servers every 15 mins. Hadn't actually thought of using the replication part of Veeam... What do you replicate to? Another Hyper-V/VMware cluster? or just another host?
sparkeh Posted June 4, 2013 Posted June 4, 2013 Why not use USB and NAS together? I have a local USB drive on the VM host which backs up (and restores) very quickly, this is then replicated to a NAS in another building at leisure. Every so often copies of the VHDs are also taken offsite on a USB drive. MIS is backed to LA servers.
fairm010 Posted June 4, 2013 Posted June 4, 2013 We use LiveDrive, I'm unsure of the cost as the MD has a reseller account. Not much I shouldn't think.
Guest salan Posted June 4, 2013 Posted June 4, 2013 Hadn't actually thought of using the replication part of Veeam... What do you replicate to? Another Hyper-V/VMware cluster? or just another host? We have four hosts set up in a HA setup. The backup SAN is separate and connected via a fibre swtich. Takes 5 mins for SIMS replication and 3mins for Exchange replication. We can bring a 'backup' online in mins to take over whilst we sort out (in a virtual lab) the 'real' (that is a strange phrase talking about one virtual machine as real lol) server. Tested and works. A couple of years ago, we had a gas explosion next door (made national news). The shockwave moved the 650KG server cab four inches along the floor in a closed room. All disks were wiped (including backups etc.). Took a week to get back up and running. That is when we changed what we use and have a backup SAN else where. Alan
Meldrew Posted June 4, 2013 Posted June 4, 2013 Worse case scenario is a fire or flood occurs over night, taking your server and USB backup along with it as they're physically connected together. A NAS can be physically located the other end of a school. Secondly RAIDed NASes are quite common, whereas most USB disk drives are just one physical disk. If your servers are RAIDed as well as your backup to a NAS, you limit the risk or probability of losing data. Fair point on the first item, although on a completely personal note if our server room burnt down, the rest of the school would be burnt out with it and a few days worth of incremental backups wouldn't be too much concern. Regarding RAID's NAS boxes - I don't trust these. Fine if a disc dies, but if the NAS raid controller goes, your data tends to be lost anyhow. Meldrew
pantscat Posted June 4, 2013 Posted June 4, 2013 backup SAN Ahh - that makes sense. One for 2014/15 I think when our NetApp filer is due for replacement. Although I have considered replicating to a separate ESX host in another building with DAS.
Michael Posted June 4, 2013 Posted June 4, 2013 That really depends how big the school is or where an event occured, in the example of fire or flood. There are many brands/choices of NAS out there. I suppose an alternative would be another Windows Server box at the other end of school.
Meldrew Posted June 4, 2013 Posted June 4, 2013 Well do you backup raw data or full system states? We recently had this happen to us.. our single file storage with all profiles etc died... we purchased a new server and using DPM we transferred all our data to the new server with permission... Back in no time! I just want to find a long term storage solution for monthly backups... also need to backup SQL and Exchange mailboxes... We do a mixture of system states and raw data. Our FRDC has its system state backed up to ensure a copy of AD and we do a full system backup on our exchange server. Everything else we robocopy onto a HDD in a HDD dock. Regarding data recovery, we use powershell to setup accounts automatically from a database sync'd with SIMS, so to do a full restore, we would just need to install 2k8 & powershell, etc, setup a simple framework of folders and run a powershell script to create user folders from the database and restore data back from the HDD. Meldrew
Nausing Posted June 4, 2013 Author Posted June 4, 2013 We do a mixture of system states and raw data. Our FRDC has its system state backed up to ensure a copy of AD and we do a full system backup on our exchange server. Everything else we robocopy onto a HDD in a HDD dock. Regarding data recovery, we use powershell to setup accounts automatically from a database sync'd with SIMS, so to do a full restore, we would just need to install 2k8 & powershell, etc, setup a simple framework of folders and run a powershell script to create user folders from the database and restore data back from the HDD. Meldrew Sounds good... But have you tested this as if it was a real situation..
dhicks Posted June 4, 2013 Posted June 4, 2013 Also IF the school was to be totally destroyed, then I would think the having a latest backup would be the least of the problems. There are procedures in place for getting a school back up and running in the case of a serious fire or similar - there are a couple of companies that specialise in setting up temporary schools at very short notice. If the school burnt down, I imagine one of the first things our SMT would want would be access to the MIS for pupil contact details and so on.
Bompalompalomp Posted June 14, 2013 Posted June 14, 2013 When I started recently, the network drives were full. They're only 100 GB each, and RM wanted to charge out the arse for about £450 to double the size, which is ridiculous. Since I'm an apprentice, instead of asking for more money to experiment with a NAS, I thought the quickest and cheapest solution would be to order two 1TB WD Passports, and back up each drive on each. It works for now, but I do eventually want to try a NAS. Though the budget seems to need to be more focused on updating the outdated classroom equipment we have right now.
Sheridan Posted June 14, 2013 Posted June 14, 2013 Local LTO tape drive backups and backups to openfiler NAS boxes at other side of school. Tapes are kept in seperate part of school to nas boxes
Gibson335 Posted June 14, 2013 Posted June 14, 2013 We do disk-to-disk overnight and then disk-to-tape during the day, with EOW media stored in a safe in a different building. One thing I seldom read about during such discussions is this: if your server room burns down then you've probably got bigger problems than your hardware, such as all your cabling coming into your comms cab. I suspect that would be the longest part of any recovery job. 1
sidewinder Posted June 14, 2013 Posted June 14, 2013 I'm quite lucky from a DR point of view as we have 3 sites, 2 down the road from each other, the 3rd on another street. There are very few disasters likely to affect all 3 sites...even a plane crash would struggle (though a big flood might not) Anyway I back up to a NAS at the main site, which is at the other end of the building to the server room. Then I duplicate to a USB HD and take to the 3rd site. And backup straight to USB on the second site and again take to 3rd site. 3rd site is backed up to 1st site. Will be adding another NAS in the summer to the second site so they can back up to each other and along with the USB HD's essentially have a system where everything is backed up everywhere.
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